Lap-Band Available to More Patients

Posted: May 10 in Weight Loss Surgery by Staff

A lot of people try, but ultimately have a difficult time working out consistently. The south Florida heat often deters people from getting the amount of exercise they need, and more and more individuals are turning to weight loss surgery to help them get started on a healthier lifestyle. Allergan Inc., makers of the Lap-Band, recently announced that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to market their device to those who are less obese than those who currently qualify for the Lap-Band surgery. This means that millions more people may now meet the criteria to have this weight loss surgery.

Previously, in order to meet the criteria to have Lap-Band surgery, men must have had a body mass index of 40 or greater, and women had to have a BMI of 35 or greater. Now you can be approved for the surgery if your BMI is between 30 and 40 and you have at least one medical condition resulting from your weight, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. In addition you must have tried conventional weight loss methods before turning to weight loss surgery.

The Lap-Band is a popular form of bariatric surgery because it can be reversed; gastric bypass on the other hand is permanent. These new guidelines mean that more than 26 million patients will qualify for this surgery. Despite the FDA’s previous restrictions on who would qualify for the surgery, there are reports of people who would gain weight in an effort to raise their BMI sufficiently in order to become approved for the surgery.

This is good news to just about anybody who is overweight and looking for options. If you’re more than 30 pounds overweight and have tried diet and weight loss, then the Lap-Band procedure may be the right choice for you.